Go ask Alice: Carefree fandom

My son doesn’t seem all that interested in the World Series, and I think I know why.

Alice Coyle

My son doesn’t seem all that interested in the World Series, and I think I know why.

He loves the Red Sox and is thrilled they’re in the Fall Classic, but the home team's success and winning ways are nothing new to him.

He was 5 when the Sox won their first World Series in 86 years, but he has no memory of those eight painful decades of drought and disappointment.

What could the “Curse of the Bambino” mean to my bambino, who in his 8-1/2 years has not only seen the Sox win the World Series, but has also watched the currently undefeated New England Patriots win three Super Bowls – although he might not recall that 2001 victory over the Rams.

He’s used to rooting for winning teams and having that loyalty richly rewarded with World Series’ and Vince Lombardi trophies. Adding to his complacency this season, the Bruins are off to a strong start and the Celtics have a lineup that most say will return them to their days of glory on the parquet.

So while the rest of Red Sox nation — those who’ve been around a decade or two — are glued to their televisions, watching every pitch, counting every strike and agonizing over any hits Dice-K lets up, kids my son’s age are just as happy to tune into the latest episode of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody or whatever other sitcom the Disney Channel is serving up.

My son isn’t worried the Sox will lose. And if they do, they’ll surely win again next year. He doesn’t have that panic that wells up inside Sox fans as the team edges closer to the big prize. He doesn’t have that fateful, despondent feeling when the team is down three games that they’ll never come back. Because he’s seen them do it — twice in three years.

There’s a new generation of New England/Boston fans out there who haven’t been long suffering, haven’t had their hearts broken, and can’t quite understand how glorious, special and wonderful it is to win. You need to experience some pain and disappointment to truly appreciate victory; it’s a true sports fan’s rite of passage.

But with the way Bean Town teams are playing lately, my son’s carefree fandom seems destined to roll on.

Alice Coyle is the managing editor of Community Newspaper Company’s Raynham office. She can be reached at acoyle@cnc.com.